GNU
1Min
South Africa
Nov 3, 2025
President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the recent secret retreat with leaders of the GNU as a substantial success, amidst a backdrop of increasing challenges facing both the coalition and the nation at large. The two-day gathering served as a crucial platform for discussing the pressing issues that affect many South Africans today.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has described this weekend’s secret retreat with leaders of the parties within the Government of National Unity (GNU) as a resounding success.
On the weekend, speculation was rife as to the nature of the discussions these leaders had engaged in in light of the many challenges facing the GNU and South Africans in general.
According to media reports the two-day gathering at the Cradle of Humankind over the weekend was intended to map a way forward on some of the key issues affecting South Africa at the moment.
Ramaphosa indicated, also that the future of the GNU looks as bright as ever, as the parties recommitted themselves to the partnership that has endured 16 months since its formation last year.
This comes as the meeting with GNU partners wrapped up its business on Saturday. Varying media reports suggested that Ramaphosa, who is reportedly considering stepping down, would discuss his next move with his GNU partners.
However, speaking publicly for the first time on Monday, Ramaphosa said the meeting was a resounding success.
“We have just concluded a really excellent and meaningful GNU leaders meeting. We spent a considerable amount of time together, talking about the state of the country, society, politics and international issues as it is now,” he said.
Ramaphosa said it was important for members of the GNU to reflect on the issues that affect ordinary South Africans. Among the issues discussed during this gathering is the country’s ailing economy and the rising figures of unemployment.
“We discussed unemployment and the hunger that we see every day. We spoke about corruption, crime and what we need to do to inject more growth into the economy. We also spoke about the progress that we can see happening and how our transformational work is going to be on the reforms that we have embarked upon,” he added.
On the future of the GNU, Ramaphosa said the partnership which has endured 16 months also formed part of the discussions.
"We have been 16 months now. Our relationship many people thought that it would have collapsed by now. We admit that we had our own challenges during the course of this 16 months. We have reconfirmed that the GNU is here to stay," he stated.
